The first thing you notice upon popping Diamonds in the Rough is the crumpled production on Demons, but as you listen 2 30 seconds you 4get about that becuz the song is a god damn banger. And that's kind of every song on this album. Yeah, the production is kinda funky (Besides the CLA mix 4 Almost Easy) but that's my only gripe with it. This IS A FUCKING BANGER ALBUM. If a friend asks me 2 give them a Sevenfold album and it's their first time, I give them this. It has a quintessential sound of the self titled and Nightmare, but it's perfected 2 such a magnificent degree. It's like comparing Waking the Fallen 2 Seventh Trumpet again. Everything here is just so so much better. And the thing is, this is a fucking rarities album. If this WERE the self titled, we would be living in a better world. But it still exists, and I am happy 4 that.
This IS the big epic album City of Evil was trying 2 be. This is the best parts of the self titled, but uncommercialized. These songs fill in the hole that the self titled had. It feels so much more complete. I put this up there with Waking and StST, it's that good. I loved it 1st listen, still do. Everything here is so refined and neat, it's a god damn miracle something this good exists. Here's something I don't understand. Why are the rarities of the worst albums the best songs? Nightmare is a good album but self titled and Hail to the King are their worst imo.
Speaking of, the rarities meant 4 Hail are fucking beautiful. Hail feels like a gladiatorial arena but the rarities (St. James and Set Me Free) feel like dying and going 2 heaven. Bad analogy but I'm saying these songs are so much better than the albums they're supposed 2 be on (Besides Nightmare) and all I can do is gush and complain they're not on the albums they were going 2 be on. I dunno. Although I feel the Nightmare tracks weren't as strong as the album was. And not just becuz Nightmare is that good, it's also becuz the tracks here are kinda lacking, particularly 4:00 AM. Not in the way that self titled tracks have a hole that isn't filled, it's just that they're content being the okay, good songs they are. Very nice.
I can't think of any flaws. This is better than everything besides the first 2 albums. Even with Walk, Paranoid, and Girl I Know, this remains perhaps the best rarities album ever. I really don't know what 2 say, uh, it's really good.
Song ranking
1. Walk
2. Paranoid
3. Girl I Know
4. 4:00 AM
5. Tension
6. Until The End
7. Lost It All
8. Set Me Free
9. Dancing Dead
10. Demons
11. Flash of the Blade
12. Crossroads
13. The Fight
14. St. James
As 4 the alternate tracks, I prefer the CLA mix of Almost Easy, while Afterlife sounds 2 similar 2 the original 4 me 2 like it more.
Diamonds in the Rough: Aptly Named, Perhaps Underlooked
The first thing you notice upon popping Diamonds in the Rough is the crumpled production on Demons, but as you listen 2 30 seconds you 4get about that becuz the song is a god damn banger. And that's kind of every song on this album. Yeah, the production is kinda funky (Besides the CLA mix 4 Almost Easy) but that's my only gripe with it. This IS A FUCKING BANGER ALBUM. If a friend asks me 2 give them a Sevenfold album and it's their first time, I give them this. It has a quintessential sound of the self titled and Nightmare, but it's perfected 2 such a magnificent degree. It's like comparing Waking the Fallen 2 Seventh Trumpet again. Everything here is just so so much better. And the thing is, this is a fucking rarities album. If this WERE the self titled, we would be living in a better world. But it still exists, and I am happy 4 that.
This IS the big epic album City of Evil was trying 2 be. This is the best parts of the self titled, but uncommercialized. These songs fill in the hole that the self titled had. It feels so much more complete. I put this up there with Waking and StST, it's that good. I loved it 1st listen, still do. Everything here is so refined and neat, it's a god damn miracle something this good exists. Here's something I don't understand. Why are the rarities of the worst albums the best songs? Nightmare is a good album but self titled and Hail to the King are their worst imo.
Speaking of, the rarities meant 4 Hail are fucking beautiful. Hail feels like a gladiatorial arena but the rarities (St. James and Set Me Free) feel like dying and going 2 heaven. Bad analogy but I'm saying these songs are so much better than the albums they're supposed 2 be on (Besides Nightmare) and all I can do is gush and complain they're not on the albums they were going 2 be on. I dunno. Although I feel the Nightmare tracks weren't as strong as the album was. And not just becuz Nightmare is that good, it's also becuz the tracks here are kinda lacking, particularly 4:00 AM. Not in the way that self titled tracks have a hole that isn't filled, it's just that they're content being the okay, good songs they are. Very nice.
I can't think of any flaws. This is better than everything besides the first 2 albums. Even with Walk, Paranoid, and Girl I Know, this remains perhaps the best rarities album ever. I really don't know what 2 say, uh, it's really good.
Song ranking
1. Walk
2. Paranoid
3. Girl I Know
4. 4:00 AM
5. Tension
6. Until The End
7. Lost It All
8. Set Me Free
9. Dancing Dead
10. Demons
11. Flash of the Blade
12. Crossroads
13. The Fight
14. St. James
As 4 the alternate tracks, I prefer the CLA mix of Almost Easy, while Afterlife sounds 2 similar 2 the original 4 me 2 like it more.